Finish carpentry is a necessary aspect of most carpentry projects. Finish carpentry includes installing trim around doors or windows to improve aesthetic appearance. When installing trim around doors and windows, it is important to have consistent reveals around the door or window jambs for appearance purposes. It is also important to ensure proper measurements so all of the trim pieces fit together around the door or window. Furthermore, it is necessary to have proper support of the trim during installation to allow for consistent installation of the trim around the door or window jamb.
The installation of trim, especially in elevated positions, is a difficult task for a person to perform by oneself. It can be very difficult and time consuming to mark consistent reveals around door jambs with a measuring device and straight edge. It is also very difficult to hold a tape measure in place to make critical measurements. Furthermore, the trim pieces can be very difficult to install without help as the trim piece must be held in place to ensure proper installation.
Some tools have been designed to aid in the installation of trim, particularly in the marking of a reveal around the jamb of a window or door. One such tool is disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0131486 to Wallace. Wallace describes a trim setting gauge which uses a sliding blade to mark a desired margin measurement around the corner of a door jamb. The metal blade is marked in inches and millimeters to provide the necessary measurement. Another tool for aiding in marking the reveal around a jamb is disclosure by Dowdawkin in U.S. Pat. No. 7,240,435. Dowdawkin discloses an adjustable trim gage including an adjustable scribing block which is adjustably attached to a guide block. During use the guide block is positioned adjacent to the jamb and the scribing block is positioned with respect to the guide surface such that a desired reveal may be marked. The tools disclosed by Wallace and Dowdawkin, however, can not be used to support trim during installation or provide a surface from which to take a measurement via a tape measure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,172 to Thrun discloses a spacing gauge for molding and trim. The spacing gauge allows a user to temporarily install the gauge to a frame which allows for marking and installation of the trim by one person. The gauge includes a securing arm, which is attached around the side of the frame to help secure the gauge in place. The gauge, however, may have difficulty attaching to some surfaces, due to the need for the securing arm. Furthermore, temporary installation of the gauge can be time consuming as temporary installation requires fitting the gauge to the frame and securing the a set screw to hold the he gauge in place requires multiple actions to install around a frame.
While tools generally used to mark reveals appear to be known, there is still a need in the art for a finishing tool which allows a single user to install trim and mark consistent reveals in a simple fashion.